Role of micro-RNAs in breast cancer surgery

An electrochemiluminescence sensor with wide stable potential detection window based on superhydrophilic amino acid polyionic liquid for the detection of miRNA-128 in colorectal cancer

The stable potential detection window (PW) of electrodes in the commonly overlooked issue in electrochemiluminescence (ECL) research. In this study, an amino acid-based polyionic liquid (AAPIL) had been designed and synthesized to solve the problem of narrow potential detection window of the electrode. A biosensor was constructed based on the AAPIL to overcome the limitation and enhance ECL signals. The reduced titanium nanoclusters (R-Ti NCs) were used as luminescent probes with strong ECL signal. Moreover, AAPIL with high ionic conductivity effectively accelerated electron transfer and facilitated the luminescence of titanium nanoclusters. In addition, the superhydrophilicity AAPIL had good antifouling properties. Therefore, the AAPIL-based biosensor was used to quantify miRNA-128 with a linear detection range of 1 fM to 1 nM, while the detection limit was as low as 0.17 fM. Owing to its excellent electrochemical property, this ECL sensor can be successfully applied to the detection of actual colorectal cancer samples.

Advances in locally administered nucleic acid therapeutics

Nucleic acid drugs represent the latest generation of precision therapeutics, holding significant promise for the treatment of a wide range of intractable diseases. Delivery technology is crucial for the clinical application of nucleic acid drugs. However, extrahepatic delivery of nucleic acid drugs remains a significant challenge. Systemic administration often fails to achieve sufficient drug enrichment in target tissues. Localized administration has emerged as the predominant approach to facilitate extrahepatic delivery. While localized administration can significantly enhance drug accumulation at the injection sites, nucleic acid drugs still face biological barriers in reaching the target lesions. This review focuses on non-viral nucleic acid drug delivery techniques utilized in local administration for the treatment of extrahepatic diseases. First, the classification of nucleic acid drugs is described. Second, the current major non-viral delivery technologies for nucleic acid drugs are discussed. Third, the bio-barriers, administration approaches, and recent research advances in the local delivery of nucleic acid drugs for treating lung, brain, eye, skin, joint, and heart-related diseases are highlighted. Finally, the challenges associated with the localized therapeutic application of nucleic acid drugs are addressed.

The role of miRNAs as biomarkers in breast cancer

Breast cancer (BC) is the second most common cause of deaths reported in women worldwide, and therefore there is a need to identify BC patients at an early stage as timely diagnosis would help in effective management and appropriate monitoring of patients. This will allow for proper patient monitoring and effective care. However, the absence of a particular biomarker for BC early diagnosis and surveillance makes it difficult to accomplish these objectives. miRNAs have been identified as master regulators of the molecular pathways that are emphasized in various tumors and that lead to the advancement of malignancies. Small, non-coding RNA molecules known as miRNAs target particular mRNAs to control the expression of genes. miRNAs dysregulation has been linked to the start and development of a number of human malignancies, including BC, since there is compelling evidence that miRNAs can function as tumor suppressor genes or oncogenes. The current level of knowledge on the role of miRNAs in BC diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment is presented in this review. miRNAs can regulate the tumorigenesis of BC through targeting PI3K pathway and can be used as prognostic or diagnostic biomarkers for BC therapy. Some miRNAs, like miR-9, miR-10b, and miR-17-5p, are becoming known as biomarkers of BC for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutic outcome prediction. Other miRNAs, like miR-30c, miR-187, and miR-339-5p, play significant roles in the regulation of hallmark functions of BC, including invasion, metastasis, proliferation, resting death, apoptosis, and genomic instability. Other miRNAs, such as miR-155 and miR-210, are circulating in bodily fluids and are therefore of interest as novel, conveniently accessible, reasonably priced, non-invasive methods for the customized care of patients with BC.

Modulating the acetylation of α-tubulin by LncRNAs and microRNAs helps in the progression of cancer

Malignant tumor cells go through morphological and gene expression alterations, including rearrangement of cytoskeleton proteins that promote invasion and metastasis. Microtubules form a major cytoskeleton component that plays a significant role in regulating multiple cellular activities and function depending on the presence of posttranslational modification (PTM). Acetylation is a type of PTM that generally occurs in the lysine 40 region of α-tubulin and is known to be critically associated with cancer metastasis. Current evidence demonstrates that noncoding RNAs, such as long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) and microRNA (or miRNA), which are correlated with gene regulation modulate the expression of acetylated tubulin in the development and metastasis of cancer. This review provides an overview about the role of lncRNA and miRNA in regulation of tubulin acetylation in various types of cancer.

Micro RNA in meniscal ailments: current concepts

INTRODUCTION

Micro RNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding RNAs that act primarily in posttranscriptional gene silencing, and are attracting increasing interest in musculoskeletal conditions.

SOURCE OF DATA

Current scientific literature published in PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase and Web of Science databases.

AREAS OF AGREEMENT

Recently, the potential of miRNAs as biomarkers for diagnosis and treatment of meniscal injuries has been postulated.

AREAS OF CONTROVERSY

Evaluation of the role of miRNAs in patients with meniscal tears is still controversial.

GROWING POINTS

A systematic review was conducted to investigate the potential of miRNA in the diagnosis and management of meniscal damage.

AREAS TIMELY FOR DEVELOPING RESEARCH

Intra-articular injection of microRNA-210 in vivo may represent a potential innovative methodology for the management of meniscal injuries. Characterization of the miRNAs expression in the synovial fluid could lead to the development of better early diagnosis and management strategies for meniscal tears.

Overview of non-coding RNAs in breast cancers

Breast cancer in women is the second most common cancer and the fifth leading cause of cancer death worldwide. Although earlier diagnosis and detection of breast cancer has resulted in lower mortality rates, further advances in prevention, detection, and treatment are needed to improve outcomes and survival for women with breast cancer as well as to offer a personalized therapeutic approach. It is now well-established that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) represent 98% of the transcriptome but in-depth knowledge about their involvement in the regulation of gene expression is lacking. A growing body of research indicates that ncRNAs are essential for tumorigenesis by regulating the expression of tumour-related genes. In this review, we focus on their implication in breast cancer genesis but also report the latest knowledge of their theragnostic and therapeutic role. We highlight the need for accurate quantification of circulating ncRNAs which is determinant to develop reliable biomarkers. Further studies are mandatory to finally enter the era of personalized medicine for women with breast cancer.

Applications and developments of gene therapy drug delivery systems for genetic diseases

Genetic diseases seriously threaten human health and have always been one of the refractory conditions facing humanity. Currently, gene therapy drugs such as siRNA, shRNA, antisense oligonucleotide, CRISPR/Cas9 system, plasmid DNA and miRNA have shown great potential in biomedical applications. To avoid the degradation of gene therapy drugs in the body and effectively deliver them to target tissues, cells and organelles, the development of excellent drug delivery vehicles is of utmost importance. Viral vectors are the most widely used delivery vehicles for gene therapy in vivo and in vitro due to their high transfection efficiency and stable transgene expression. With the development of nanotechnology, novel nanocarriers are gradually replacing viral vectors, emerging superior performance. This review mainly illuminates the current widely used gene therapy drugs, summarizes the viral vectors and non-viral vectors that deliver gene therapy drugs, and sums up the application of gene therapy to treat genetic diseases. Additionally, the challenges and opportunities of the field are discussed from the perspective of developing an effective nano-delivery system.

The effect of oleuropein on apoptotic pathway regulators in breast cancer cells

In spite of advancements in breast cancer therapy, this disease is still one of the significant causes of women fatalities globally. Dysregulation of miRNA plays a pivotal role in the initiation and progression of cancer. Therefore, the administration of herbal compounds with anticancer effects through controlling microRNA expression can be considered as a promising therapy for cancer. Oleuropein is the most prevalent phenolic compound in olive. Given its domestic consumption, low cost, and nontoxicity for human beings, oleuropein can be used in combination with the standard chemotherapy drugs. To this end, we examined the effect of oleuropein on two breast cancer cell lines (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231). Our findings revealed that oleuropein significantly decreased cell viability in a dose- and time-dependent manner, while it increased the apoptosis in MCF7 and MDA-MB-231 cells. In the presence of oleuropein, the expression levels of miR-125b, miR-16, miR-34a, p53, p21, and TNFRS10B increased, while that of bcl-2, mcl1, miR-221, miR-29a and miR-21 decreased. The findings pointed out that oeluropein may induce apoptosis via not only increasing the expression of pro-apoptotic genes and tumor suppressor miRNAs, but also decreasing the expression of anti-apoptotic genes and oncomiR. Consequently, oleuropein can be regarded as a suitable herbal medication for cancer therapy.

Circulating microRNAs miR-331 and miR-195 differentiate local luminal a from metastatic breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer related death in women, with metastasis the principle cause of mortality. New non-invasive prognostic markers are needed for the early detection of metastasis, facilitating treatment decision optimisation. MicroRNA (miRNA) are small, non-coding RNAs regulating gene expression and involved in many cellular processes, including metastasis. As biomarkers, circulating miRNAs (in blood) hold great promise for informing diagnosis or monitoring treatment responses.

METHODS

Plasma extracted RNA from age matched local Luminal A (n = 4) or metastatic disease (n = 4) were profiled using Next Generation Sequencing. Selected differentially expressed miRNA were validated on a whole blood extracted miRNA cohort [distant metastatic disease (n = 22), local disease (n = 31), healthy controls (n = 21)]. Area Under the Curve (AUC) in Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) analyses was performed.

RESULTS

Of 4 miRNA targets tested (miR-181a, miR-329, miR-331, miR-195), mir-331 was significantly over-expressed in patients with metastatic disease, compared to patients with local disease (p < 0.001) or healthy controls (p < 0.001). miR-195 was significantly under-expressed in patients with metastatic disease, compared to patients with local disease (p < 0.001) or healthy controls (p = 0.043). In combination, miR-331 and miR-195 produced an AUC of 0.902, distinguishing metastatic from local breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

We identified and validated two circulating miRNAs differentiating local Luminal A breast cancers from metastatic breast cancers. Further investigation will reveal the molecular role of these miRNAs in metastasis, and determine if they are subtype specific. This work demonstrates the ability of circulating miRNA to identify metastatic disease, and potentially inform diagnosis or treatment effectiveness.

Cancer surgery in the genomic era

Introduction